Insecticide.



.vented certain new and n the so-called mixture of ill STA'llQS AN 1 FFKCE.

GIUSEPPE OIlJZDO, 0F PAVIA, ITALY.

INSECTICIDE.

Speciflcation of Letters Patent. Application filed July 17, 1908.

ject of the King ofItaly, and resident of lavia, in the Kingdom of Italy, have inuseful Improvements in Insecticides, of which the followin r) is a specification.

The object of the present invention is to provide an anticryptogamic' and antiparasitical powder having the necessary quali ties for successfully fighting the Paranospom and all shall be economical in -its production and eflicient in use. I obtain such powder by means or" a special treatment of mixed ores of heavy metals coming directly from the mines, or the 'residuums of metallurgical works where such orcs are treated;

Heretofore it has been proposed to e1nploy for the aforesaid purpose the copper salts whether in diluted solution, or suspended in water in the form of hydrate, as Bordeaux, and also in other forms of combination.

I have found by experiment that the pro tecting and restoring action is not a particular prerogative of the copper compounds as heretofore has been believed, but that it is possessed also, in different degrees, by all the compounds of heavy metals. I have also found by experiments that although these may be used in the preferable to use the insoluble combinations which have been found to display all their efficiency for the destruction of the parasites of the plants without exercising any caustic or other harmful action on the plants.

In carrying out my invention I proceed as follows :--l employ mixed heavy metals, and especially those containing in prevalence zinc, besides lead and iron, which are the most common, together or not with other more rare heavy metals. All these ores of heavy metals are first roasted to a very fine powder, and then treated with sulfuric acid, at. first at ordinary temperature, and then at high temperature, until the transformation of all the salts into sulfates is complete or very advanced. It is necessary to stir hastily and continually the mixture because, 7 ing heavy, accumulates at the bottom of the receiver and the solution of sulfuric acid, which islighter, remains at the surface. The product so obtained is diluted in water and treated, firstly at cold temperature, and

other parasites of plants, which form of solutions, it is I and reduced otherwise, the material. bc-" repented Feb. 8, 1910. Serial No. 443,987.

' then, if it is necessary, at high temperature,

with milk of lime or powder of lime, until a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction ensues.

he mass so obtained,

rest, and then, after having decanted the iquid, it must be ,dried and submitted at last to grinding and that an impalpable and uniform tained in' the mixture.

The solution of the sulfate of copper and of the-soluble salts of other heavy metals when they exceed a predetermined concentration, exercise a pernicious action on the plant, so that they become unsuitable for use against the cryptogams' and generally against every parasite of the plant. From that ensues the necessity and convenience of neutralizing the mass, and this neutralization may be made by lime, this material being very economical, but it may be evidently obtained by any other material leading to the same result, not excludin the salts of the weak or insoluble acids, li e the borates ,and the silicates.

Some of the operations-of thedescribed process may be omitted, when the nature of the mineral permits it. For some ores, as for nstance, the oxide and carbonates, the roastin may be omitted.

he treating before described supposes the employment of mixed substances containin in convenient proportion the minerals 0 heavy metals to be treated. This occurs nearly always with the substances proceed ing directly from the metalliferous mines, but for working residuums from the siderurgical establishments, it is necessary to ascertain whether inf these residuums there remain in convenient proportions the elements upon which the aforesaid treatment is based. For example, let us suppose that the mixed sub'- stance is composed of zinc, or lead, and iron ores,'and of other heavy metals, which are in the form of neutral or basic carbonates or hydrates, which may be slightly attacked by the sulfuric acid; in this case, it is evidently suiiicient to pulverizeand treat them firstl at cold and then high temperature, until complete reaction, by a little more than the calculated quantity of sulfuric acid, which 15 necessary to transform all themetals into sulfates. The action of sulfuric acid is ordinarily completed, in such conditions, in about twelve hours of contact at the ordimixture of products which are insoluble or nary temperature, and that of 100. The same s true it the ore b I l contains in prevalence sulhd of zinc and other sulfids of heavy metals, which may be easily attacked by the sulfuric acid, in those conditions, and transformed into sulfates. ()n the contrary, if the mixed ore contains sulfids not attacked by sulfuric acid in those conditions, as those of lead, iron and copper, in order to render possible the attack, it is necessary to roast the ore for transforming 1 directly some sulfids into sulfates, and others into oxids, according to their nature; the t 1 mass so obtained will be then treated with sulfuric acid, according to the conditions;

and quantity already given. The sulfuric acid to be employed must always be to Be. In all cases the product of the i reaction will be alkalized slightly with lime and the whole insoluble mass dried and sift- The powder thus obtained contains material wlnch remains inactive against Peronosvom or other parasites, which consists of sulfate of lime, stlicious sand, and any silicates which have not been attacked by the sulfuric acid; but it contains above all a praetisally so in water, principally formed by any neutral or basic sulfates, by hydrates and metallic oxid, which do not exercise any caustic, venomous or any pernicious action on the plants, while they all exercise an etticacious action against the Peronospora and t about t\\'enty four at pared 1n the aforesaid manner 1s extremely the other parasites, so that the powder preuseful for the purpose stated.

The resultant powder consists of an admixture of products which arcinsoluble or nearly so and are strongly active against the Perouospom and other parasitical diseases, their activity being proportional to the quantity of con'ipounds of heavy metals contained in the mixture.

The most; convenient proportion of the substances may be dctern'tined by the results obtained by practical application in the different cases.

The stirring of the mixture avoids fusion of the sulfates.

\Vhat is claimed asnew is:-

The process of fabrication of an insecticide powder insoluble in water, consisting in roasting and grinding copper ore, treating the same with sulfuric acid first at ordinary and then at a hi 'h temperature until all the salts are trans ormed into sulfates, then treating the mass so obtained with lime, -until at neutral reaction takes place, then decanting and finally. drying, grinding and sifting the precipitate.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

(tllTSElPE ()DIX).

\Vitnesses s v 0. Memo Aromas,

J. DE Fro SAFFRETTE. 

